“Upcycling” your old MIDIcreator with Ensemble

MIDIcreatorMIDIcreator is a key accessible music technology product that has been around since the early 1990’s. The main version that most people will come across is the unit with the coloured front panel, sixteen sockets for sensors and switches and a smart card slot. It was released in 1999 and remained largely the same until it was discontinued a couple of years ago.

The advantage with the MIDIcreator was the different sensors that could be used to detect movements. Ultrasonic beams (MIDIgesture), close distance sensors (MIDIsensor) and squeeze (MIDIsqueeze) were just a few of those available.

Smart cards slotted in the front could change the MIDI notes, chords and controllers sent from each of the sockets. This MIDI data could create sounds on the internal sound module (included on the MIDIcreator Plus) or via the MIDI Out socket. Cards could be programmed over MIDI using PC Configuration software.

The MIDIcreator is limited in the sounds that can be produced, but the long lived MIDI protocol means that the unit can be given a new lease of life by way of the MIDI Plugin in the Ensemble software. Using a USB-to-MIDI interface you can connect the MIDI Out of the Creator to the MIDI In on your PC. Then, using the custom Smart Card configuration included, you can use the following blocks from the Resource Library.

MIDIcreator sensors and switches appear to Ensemble as simple switches and variable sensors that can then be linked to other blocks in the usual way.

Download “MIDIcreator”

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